Wood peeling machine



y 23, 1933- H. c. SWERTFEGER 1,910,133

WOOD FEELING MACHINE Filed Oct. 5, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet l May 23, 1933.

H. C. SWERTFEGER WOOD FEELING MACHINE Filed Oct. 5, 1931 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 y 23, 1933- H. c. SWERTFEGER WOOD FEELING MACHINE Filed Oct. 5, 1931 9 Wm an mm. W W a e M Wm Wm Patented May 23, 1933 UNITED stares woon ."LEELING MACHINE Application filed October 3, 1931. SeriaI No. 566,771.

This invention relates broadly to wood peeling machines and the primary object of this invention is to insure the removing or peeling of bark from logs, throughout the about an axis parallel to the log into and out of cutting engagement with the log, the cutting means being also shiftable longitudinally with respect to the log so as to insure peeling the log throughout the entire length thereof. A still further object of the invention is to provide a log peeling machine wherein the speed of the cutters may be increased or diminished as desired.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from a study of the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the device.

Figure 2 is a front elevational view thereof with parts in section. V

Figure 3 is a side elevational view of the cutter and associated parts.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional elevational view taken substantially on the line l4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a plan view of a clutch disk.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary elevational view of the cam means for actuating the clutch disks.

Figure 7 is a sectional elevational view taken substantially on the line 7-7 of Figure 1.

Figure 8 is a top plan View of one of the cutters and associated parts.

Figure 9 is a detail sectional elevational view taken substantially on the line 9-9 of Figure 1.

Figure 10 is a fragmentary detail sectional 45 elevational view taken substantially on the line 1010 of Figure 1.

Figure 11 is a transverse sectional view through a bearing.

Figure 12 is a transverse sectional view 59 through a bearing and sleeve assembly forming part of the invention and hereinafter more fully referred to.

Figure 13 is a sectional elevational view taken substantially on the line 13-13 of Figure 1.

Figure 14; is a fragmentary perspective view showing the means for raising and lowering the idler pulley;

WVith reference more in detail to the drawings, it will be seen that the machine comprises a suitable frame or base structure and since the particular details of the same are not of the essence of the invention, it is thought that a detailed description thereof is unnecessary. Sufiice it to say that the frame structure consists of a suitable arrangement of posts and transverse and longitudinal bars providing efiicient structure for supporting the several elements of the l machine. 7 p m In carrying out the present invention, there is provided a log supporting and turn-- ingdevice which consists of two relatively spaced longitudinally alined shafts 1 and 2 respectively, the shaft 2 being constrained 75. to slide horizontally through the bearing brackets 3 and provided at one end with a head 4 provided with a single penetrating rong. The shaft 2 is provided with rack teeth 5 which are in mesh with the teeth of a pinion 6 provided on a shaft that is supported in bearings 8 at'right angles to the shaft 2. v The shaft 7 is provided With,

a suitable hand wheel 9, and obviously by rotating the hand wheel 9 in the desired di-i rection, the shaft 2 may be moved toward or away from the shaft 1.

The shaft 1 is supported by bearings 10 and is rotatable. On one end, the shaft 1 is provided with a head 11 equipped with a series of penetrating prongs for penetrating-an adjacent end of the log so that the same will rotate with the shaft 1.

For peeling the log during rotation thereof, there is provided a plurality of cutting devices designated generally by the reference character 12. The cutting devices are mounted on a non-circular shaft13 for rotative movement about the longitudinal axis of the shaft, and also for shifting movement with the shaft longitudinally relative to the log or similar work.

The series of cutters are restrained against longitudinal shifting movement relative to the shaft 13 through the medium of collars 14 adjustable on the shaft.

Each of the cutters 12 includes a hub or sleeve 15 having a circular bore through which extends a bearing 16 that is provided with a non-circular bore 17 through which the shaft 13 extends. On one end, the bearing 16 is provided with a flange 18, threaded on the bearing as shown in Fig. 9, and on a relatively opposite end is provided with a sprocket wheel 19.

The hub or sleeve 15 of the cutting device has radiating therefrom a pair of parallel relatively spaced arms 20 between the free ends of which is supported a cutting wheel 21 mounted on a stub shaft 22 that is provided with a sprocket 23. Sprockets 19 and 23 are connected by an endless chain 24. Thus it will be seen that power from shaft 13 is transmitted to shaft 22 for driving the cutting wheel 21.

Shaft 13 is mounted parallel to the shafts 1 and 2 and substantially in the same horizontal plane therewith through the medium of bearing brackets 25. One end of shaft 13 extends through the hub 26 of a pulley 27, which hub 26 of said pulley has a non-circular bore. Pulley 27 has three drive belts 28 trained thereover, and these belts are also trained over a pulley 29 that is divided into three sections each of which is of a diameter slightly greater than the adjacent section. Pulley 29 is mounted on a shaft 30 journalled in bearings 31 and provided on one end with a pulley 32 whereby the same may have a belt drive connection with a suitable source of power. Manifestly, through the medium of the belt and pulley drive connection just described between shafts 30 and 13, the latter shaft is caused to rotate, for rotating the cutting wheels 21 in the manner hereinbefore set forth.

To vary the speed of the shaft 13, there is provided an idler pulley 33 adapted to be engaged with a selected one of the feltsv 28. Pulley 33 is supported between a pair of arms 34 having a pivotal engagement as at '35 with a horizontal shaft 36 supported between uprights 37. The members 34 are also slidable longitudinally relative to the shaft or guide rod 36, and at the connection 35 are connected together by a member 38 which is suitably connected to a horizontally disposed rack bar 39 constrained to slide through a guide 40 on an upright 37.

The pulley 33 is moved into and out of engagement with a belt 28, through the medium of a .U-shaped member 41 that has opposed portions thereof slidably and rock ably mounted on a horizontal'guide rod 42.

The opposed portions of the U-shaped mem- I ber 41 at the open end of the U are equipped with hooks 43 engaging eyes 44 on the bars 34. Rod 42 which is rockably mounted between supports 45 is equipped with a rocker arm 46 that has a link connection 47 with a control rod 48 pivotally mounted as at 49. Obviously by pushing downwardly on the lever 48, the pulley 33 will be raised out of engagement with a belt 28.

hen in this raised position, the pulley may be shifted to a position above a second one of the belts by rotating a horizontally disposed shaft 50 provided with a pinion 51 meshing with the rack bar 39 and a second pinion 52 meshing with a rack bar 53 connected at one end with one side of the U-shaped hanger 41. 1

The shaft 50 is supported in suitable bearings 54 and at one end is provided with hand wheel To effect a rotation of the log during cutting thereof, the shaft 1 has a chain and sprocket i-onnection 56 with a shaft 57, rotatably supported in the lower part of the frame and that has a belt and pulley drive connection 58 with the shaft 30. In order that shaft 1 may be idle while shaft 13 is rotating, the sprocket of. the connection 56 on the shaft 1 is loose on. the shaft and is provided with a clutch member cooper-able with a clutch member 59 slidably splincd to the shaft and movable into and out of engagement with the first referred to clutch member through the medium of a lever 60 that is pivoted to the clutch member 59 and pivoted at one end to the frame as at 61.

To raise and lower the cutting wheels 21, there is rotatably supported between hearing standards 62 a shaft 63 that is connected with each cutting device 12 through the medium of chains 64 windable on the shaft 63 and suitably connected with cross bars 65. Cross bar 65 connects a pair of arms 20 together, as shown. in Fig. 8. Shaft 63 has a chain and sprocket connection 66 with shaft 1 so that obviously when shaft 1 is rotating, movement thereof is transmitted to shaft 63 for winding the cables or flexible elements 64 on the shaft 63 to raise the cutting wheels 31.

The chain and sprocketconnection 66 between shafts 1 and 63 include a sprocket 67 slidable on shaft 1 and having its hub provided at relatively opposite ends thereof with clutch disks .68 and 69 respectively. Clutch disk 68 is cooperable with a clutch disk 70 splined to shaft 1 as at 71 and normally urged from clutch disk 68 through the mediiun of a spring 72. Clutch disk 69 is cooperable with a clutch dis; 73 secured to the shaft 1 and disk 69 is normally urged away from disk 73 through the medium of a spring 74. To engage disks 70 and 68, and disks 69 and 73, there is provided a cam device, which' includes a cam sleeve 75 that is fixed relative to the shaft 1 through the medium of a bracket 76, and a second cam sleeve 77 that is rotatable and shiftable axially relative to the shaft 1 and equipped with a handle 78. (See Figures 4 and 6).

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that by rocking the handle 78, the cam on sleeve 77 will cooperate with the cam on sleeve 75 to cause the sleeve 77 to shift axially of the shaft 1 towardthe disk forcing it against the action of spring 72 into engagement with disk 68, which in turn forces the sprocket 67 to move in a corresponding direction to engage disks 69 and 73.

When the disks are so engaged, power will be transmitted from shaft 1 to shaft 63 for raising the cutters 12. WVhen the disks are disengaged, shaft 1 will rotate without imparting corresponding movement to the shaft 63, and this of course is desired when a log is clamped between the heads 4: and 11, and the cutting wheels 21 are in engagement with the log. When the disks are in engagement the sprocket chain is in alinement. When the disks are out of engagement the slight movement of the sprocket 67 will be insufiicient to cause the sprocket chain to be released from either sprocket.

To shift all of the cutting devices 12 simultaneously relative to the shaft 13, and consequently relative to the log being peeled, the hub or sleeve 15 of an intermediate one of the cutting devices 12 is provided with a suitable lug to which is pivotally connected one end of a link 79 that in turn is pivotally connected with one end of a lever 80 that is suitably pivotally mounted to swing in a horizontal plane. Obviously by rocking the lever 80, movementthereof through the medium of link 79 is transmitted to the shaft 13 for shifting it and the cutting device 12 longitudinally.

For conveying the bark to one end of the machine there is provided a suitable conveyor 81, while a second conveyor 82 conveys the bark from the outer end of the conveyor 81 to a distant point. The conveyors 81 and 82 at adjacent ends have sprockets forming parts thereof arranged on a suitably mounted shaft 83 that is geared as at 84 to the shaft 57. Obviously, during the cutting or peeling of the log, the conveyors 81 and 82 will also be travelling for performing the work above set forth. There is also provided a suitable platform 85 that is raised a suflicient height to facilitate the placing of a log between the heads 4 and 11.

From the above detailed description, it will be seen that in actual practice, a log of any desired length may be clamped between the heads 4 and 11, and driven at a desired speed. The cutting devices 12 are lowered so that the cutting wheels 21 thereof engage with the periphery of the log during the rotation of the log, and the wheels also rotate relative to the log through the medium of the drive connection between the wheels and shaft 13. The speed of the cutting may be either high, low or medium de-' pending upon which of the belts 28 is engaged by the idler pulley 33.

' As will be understood, the cutters rest upon the log under the action of gravity and as the cutter carrying arms have free swingingmovement on theshaft 13 through means of the sleeves or hubs 15 rotatably supported on the hubs 16, each cutter assembly can swing in a vertical plane independent of the other cutter assemblies so that the cutters will engage the log and conform themselves to the irregularities in the log. Chains 64: are of such length that when the cutters are resting on a log the chains will be slacked so as not to interfere with the movement of the cutters nor to interfere with the shifting of the cutter assemblies on the shaft 13 by means of the hand lever 80. During the cutting operation, the cutter assemblies are shifted longitudinally on the shaft 13 to cause the cutters to move longitudinally over the log a distance equal to the space between a pair of cutters, so as to remove all the bark from the lo it the end of this shifting movement, the cutters are raised by rocking handle 78 for engaging the disks 68 and 70 with disks 69 and 73 so that power is transmitted from the shaft 1 to the shaft 63 to wind the chains 64: on the shaft 63. The dog 86 engages the ratchet 87 to hold the shaft 63 in position with the chain wound thereon and when it is desired to lower the cutters upon another log, the dog 86 is released from the ratchet 87 so that the cutters will drop under the action of gravity and the chains will unwind from the shaft 63.

It will of course be understood that after. the cutting devices have been raised to the desired height, the disks 68 and 70 are disengaged from the disks '69 and 73 and then lever 60 is actuated to move the clutch member 59 into engagement with its complemental clutch member so that the shaft 1 is again set in operation.

Even though I have herein shown and described the preferred embodiment of theinvention, it is to be undertood that the same is susceptible of further changes, modifications and improvements coming within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is:

1. A log peeling machine comprising a frame, a shaft of non-circular shape in cross section supported for rotary and sliding movement in the frame, a plurality of hub members having non-circular bores through which the shaft passes, means for holding said hub members against relative sliding movement on the shaft,' a sleeve r0.- tatably mounted on each hub member, arms carried by each sleeve, a cutter supported for rotary movement on the outer end of each set of arms, meansfor driving the cutters from the hub members, a pair of aligned shafts supported in the frame and having means at their inner ends for engaging the ends of a log, manually operated means for shifting one of the aligned shafts longitudinally, said aligned shafts supporting a log in a position with the cutters resting on the upper side thereof, manually operated means for shifting the non-circular shaft longitudinally, a drive shaft, means for driving the noncircular shaft from the drive shaft, means for driving the non-shiftable shaft of the aligned shafts from the drive shaft,a chain carrying shaft rotatably supported in the frame above the intermediate portions of the arms and having cha1ns connected therewith, the lower ends of which are connected with the arms, whereby ro-" tary movement of said chain carrying shaft in one direction Will Wind the chains thereupon to lift the arms and the cutters, means including clutch means, for driving the chain carrying shaft from the non-shiftable aligned shaft to wind the chains on said chain carrying shaft, ratchet means for holding the chain carrying shaft in a position with the chains Wound'thereon and permitting the shaft to rotate to unwind the same when the dog of the ratchet means is released.

2. A log peeling machine comprising a frame, a shaft rotatably supported in the frame, a plurality of hub members carried by the shaft for movement therewith, a sleeve rotatably mounted on each hub member, a supporting member carried by each sleeve, a cutter supported for rotary movement on the outer end of each supporting member, means for driving the cutters from the hub members, means for rotatably supporting a'log under the cutters with the cutters resting on the log under the action of gravity and the cutters spaced apart on the log, means for simultaneously lifting all the cutters from the log, means for rotating the shaft, and means for shifting the shaft longitudinally to move the cutters longitudinally with respect to the log.

In testimony whereofI afiix my signature.

[HAROLD o. sWERTrEe aj 

